25 Minutes
by Chloe Delfine
Summary: A simple half-hour changes the direction of the lives of two people. One-shot, songfic. Y2J/OC/Batista. Please R&R. Thank you!


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything/anyone except Danielle.**

_After some time I've finally made up my mind  
She is the girl and I really want to make her mine  
I'm searching everywhere to find her again  
To tell her I love her  
And I'm sorry 'bout the things I've done_

Chris was frantic. He had been on a manic search for Danielle since the night before. He had called up her family, her friends, any acquaintances that they had. They had either not picked up the phone or hung up immediately upon hearing his voice. He had gone to all the places they used to hang out at together. Nothing.

He was about to give up. He turned round the corner, his car being blocked by a mass of other cars at the foot of the church. How ironic, he thought to himself, a wedding was taking place just as he was searching for his lost love.

He got out of the car, deciding to take a look at the wedding party going past. Suddenly… Suddenly, he felt compelled to look up, towards the burst of applause and laughter emanating from the entrance of the church.

He saw them.

He saw **her**_._

_I find her standing in front of the church  
The only place in town where I didn't search  
She looks so happy in her wedding dress  
But she's crying while she's saying this_

He stared at the couple at the church entrance, his eyes boring into them. His jaw tensed. A passerby would take him to be furious. But, anyone who knew him, who truly knew him, would have been able to tell that he was trying not to cry.

Almost telepathically, just like in the old days when she knew he was watching her, she turned towards him and caught his eye. Even from that distance, he knew that she recognised him. She gasped, her hand covering her mouth, dropping her wedding bouquet to the ground. Almost instantaneously, she regained her composure, whispering to her maid-of-honour that she would only be gone a short while.

Holding up the train of her gown, she rushed down the stairs to the side of the church where Chris was. They stood at each other, silent, staring.

His eyes saw, his heart longed for. She seemed to have grown even more beautiful than he remembered. Age had mellowed her slightly icy, selfish features. But, age had also given her a slight mystery – her eyes spoke depths of stories untold. Her body too had filled out, giving her a softer, more feminine air.

She broke the silence first. "Chris."

The cold flatness of her tone tore into him. "Dani…"

"Please don't call me that. Only close friends call me that and you'd hardly qualify as even a friend."

Chris reached out for her. She flinched and pulled away. "Dani… I came to say that I'm sorry. I love you… I've always loved you."

Danielle laughed derisively. "Love? Chris, you don't even know what love is."

"Dani… I do. I've alw…"

"Don't tell me you've always loved me, Jericho," she interrupted him. "Love isn't walking out on your pregnant girlfriend. Love isn't sending your pregnant girlfriend a cheque and telling her to 'solve the problem'. Love isn't disappearing for 4 years and suddenly appearing on her wedding day telling her things she doesn't need to hear!"

"Dani, please, hear me out," he pleaded, reaching out for her again. This time, she didn't flinch. She just stared at him silently, not warmly but not brushing him off either. He took it as a sign that he should continue. "All these years, I didn't realise that you were the one I've always wanted to be with. After being with so many people and seeing so many things happen in my life, I realised that you were the only constant, the only person I knew who would never fail me. Dani, I love you. Please don't turn away from me. I can't live without you."

She continued to stare silently at him. If not for a single tear rolling down her cheek, he would have thought that she had not heard him. Suddenly, he heard a soft sob. He turned his own tear-filled eyes towards her.

"How could you, Chris?" silent sobs beginning to overwhelm her. "How could you leave me? How could you do that to me? I loved you more than anyone in the world…"

"I know, baby," Chris stroked her hair tenderly, longing to pull her close to him. "Let's run away together. We can be together again. And this time, I promise I'll do it all right."

"I can't," Danielle turned forlorn eyes towards the entrance of the church. His eyes followed hers. He saw Dave standing there in the midst of the crowd, laughing and receiving congratulations from all and sundry. "It's too late."  
_  
__Boy I missed your kisses all the time but this is  
Twenty five minutes too late  
Though you travelled so far boy I'm sorry you are  
Twenty five minutes too late_

"Mommy?" Startled, they both turned towards the little voice about 3 feet off the ground. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel of a child was tugging on to the hem of Danielle's gown, her other hand holding on to the hand of a younger, brown-haired boy.

Danielle knelt down and kissed both kids. "Mommy's a little busy now, catching up with a… friend. You go right up to Daddy and I'll be there in a minute, okay?"

The little girl nodded and smiled. She turned and both children ran up the stairs and threw themselves at Dave's legs. He picked them both up, smothering them in kisses.

Chris had a strange look on his face. "Was that…. Is she… mine?"

Danielle nodded, a sad smile dawning on her face. "She looks exactly like you, doesn't she?"

"She's… Absolutely beautiful. And the little boy?"

"Dave's. I got pregnant again about a year after giving birth to Kirsty."

"I'm sorry, Dani, I'm so so sorry." Tears were rolling down Chris' face uncontrollably.

Danielle awkwardly gave him a small hug. "We're all okay now. That's what's important."

"Was it difficult?"

A flash of pain crossed Danielle's face but disappeared almost instantly. Her eyes flashed. "Paul threw me out of the house. He said no sister of his would have any kids out of wedlock. Fortunately, Dave was there for me. He offered his home for me. And things just progressed. He told everyone that Kirsty was his child so no one would look at me in that way. And like a good 'father', he was there throughout the birth."

"You moved on fast enough, didn't you?" the bitterness came through his words.

Danielle seemed oblivious, her mind still fixed on the past. She shook her head. "It was so difficult, Chris. Every moment, every second, I missed you so much. I wanted you with me so much. The first time Dave and I… made love, I ran to the bathroom right after. I just sat under the shower, crying, feeling like I was dirty, like I was a whore. You know what Dave did?"

Chris shook his head. He didn't know and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Regardless, Danielle continued. "He came and sat with me, fully dressed. Under the showers, he held me until I had stopped crying. He promised me that he'd never do what you did to me. Never."

Chris squeezed his eyes together, trying to block out the mental image and the pain that was tugging endlessly at his heart. "Do you love him, Dani?"

Danielle was quiet for a while. Chris opened his eyes and looked at her puzzledly. "Do you love him, Dani?"

"He's a good father and he takes really good care of me," she said quietly.

"But, are you in love with him?"

Danielle shook her head, looking at the ground.

"Then? What are you doing here? Let's leave!" Chris clutched on to her hands.

"I can't, Chris," she repeated frustratedly. "I love Dave, for all he's done for me and my children. I love him, but I am not in love with him."

"Then why marry him?" Chris sounded equally frustrated.

"Was I to wait for a man who left me when I was pregnant and then disappeared off the face of the earth?" she was fast reaching breaking point. "Dave loves me, Dave is in love with me. And after all he's done for me, this is the least I could do for him."

"You're making a huge mistake, Dani."

She nodded. "I know I am. But, my children need a father and I need someone I can depend on." She turned to look at the man she had married barely half an hour before. He caught her eye and motioned for her to join him.

She turned back to Chris. "Look, I really have to go. Dave wants me up there."

Unexpectedly, he felt her arms around him and her lips on his and he was transported back to the time of old. He wished that he could lose himself in that kiss forever. But, before he knew it, she had pulled away.

She suddenly leaned forward and whispered only loud enough for him to hear. "It's you, Jericho. It's always been you that I'll be in love with. Always, forever." With that, she turned and hurried up the stairs.

Chris saw her rejoin Dave, Dave slipping his arm around her waist and Chris knew Dave was asking her where she'd been. He watched as she played the dutiful wife to perfection, her eyes widening just enough, shaking her head sweetly and placing her hand submissively on Dave's chest.

Watching, he knew he could take no more. He turned and walked down. This time, he knew… He knew it was really goodbye.

_Against the wind I'm going home again  
Wishing be back to the time when we were more than  
Friends_

_Boy I missed your kisses all the time but this is  
Twenty five minutes too late_


End file.
